Framber Valdez

Framber Valdez

31-Year-Old PitcherSP
Houston Astros
2025 Fantasy Outlook
Valdez has settled in as the ace of Houston's staff over the past few years, and that trend continued in 2024 as he posted a 2.91 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 169:55 K:BB across 176.1 innings. A 3.36 xERA and 3.08 xFIP indicate he may have been a bit fortunate with the results, but those numbers are still strong and aren't anything to be concerned about. The left-hander's 16.2 percent K-BB% is solid if not a bit underwhelming for a pitcher of his caliber, as he continues to rely on inducing grounders (60.6 percent groundball rate). Valdez's recent track record of availability and effectiveness give him a strong floor, but his ceiling is more limited than the top-tier fantasy pitchers due to the lower strikeout totals. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
From Preseason
$Signed a one-year, $12.1 million contract with the Astros in January of 2024.
Named Game 1 starter
PHouston Astros
September 30, 2024
Valdez will start Game 1 of the wild-card series versus the Tigers on Tuesday, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.
ANALYSIS
How the Astros ultimately set up their full postseason rotation will be interesting, but there wasn't much question as to whom would take the ball in Game 1. After an inconsistent first half, Valdez held a 1.96 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 87:23 K:BB over 78 frames in 12 second-half starts. He'll be opposed by Tarik Skubal.
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Pitching Stats
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2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2024 MLB Game Log
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2023 MLB Game Log
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2022 MLB Game Log
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2021 MLB Game Log
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
92
Last 10 Games
95
Last 5 Games
91
How many pitches does Framber Valdez generally throw?
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
What part of the game does Framber Valdez generally pitch?
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2022
 
 
-3%
BAA vs LHP
2024
 
 
-15%
BAA vs RHP
2023
 
 
-4%
BAA vs LHP
2022
 
 
-16%
BAA vs LHP
BAA Batters K BB H 2B 3B HR
Since 2022vs Left .219 403 115 33 79 15 1 8
Since 2022vs Right .225 1935 448 146 393 70 5 35
2024vs Left .252 114 34 5 27 8 0 2
2024vs Right .214 589 135 50 113 16 1 11
2023vs Left .220 142 45 14 27 5 1 5
2023vs Right .230 666 155 43 139 32 2 14
2022vs Left .192 147 36 14 25 2 0 1
2022vs Right .229 680 158 53 141 22 2 10
More Splits View More Split Stats
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2022
 
 
-4%
ERA on Road
2024
 
 
-25%
ERA at Home
2023
 
 
-6%
ERA at Home
2022
 
 
-36%
ERA on Road
ERA WHIP IP W L SV K/9 BB/9 HR/9
Since 2022Home 3.13 1.11 284.1 20 14 0 9.7 2.4 0.6
Since 2022Away 3.00 1.15 291.1 24 10 0 8.0 3.2 0.8
2024Home 2.53 1.05 96.0 9 2 0 9.2 2.5 0.8
2024Away 3.36 1.17 80.1 6 5 0 8.0 3.1 0.6
2023Home 3.35 1.05 102.0 4 8 0 9.4 1.8 0.6
2023Away 3.56 1.21 96.0 8 3 0 8.7 3.5 1.1
2022Home 3.54 1.26 86.1 7 4 0 10.4 3.1 0.3
2022Away 2.27 1.08 115.0 10 2 0 7.4 2.9 0.6
More Splits View More Split Stats
Stat Review
How does Framber Valdez compare to other starting pitchers?
This section compares his stats with all starting pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 120 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
  • K/BB
    Strikeout to walk ratio.
  • K/9
    Average strikeouts per nine innings.
  • BB/9
    Average walks per nine innings.
  • HR/9
    Average home runs allowed per nine innings.
  • Fastball
    Average fastball velocity.
  • ERA
    Earned run average. The average earned runs allowed per nine innings.
  • WHIP
    Walks plus hits per inning pitched.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many balls in play against a pitcher go for hits.
  • GB/FB
    Groundball to flyball ratio. The higher the number, the more likely a pitcher is to induce groundballs.
  • Left On Base
    The percentage of base runners that a pitcher strands on base over the course of a season.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Barrels/BBE
    The percentage of batted ball events resulting in a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Spin Rate
    Spin Rate is the rate of spin on a baseball after it is released. It is measured in revolutions per minute (rpm).
  • Balls Hit 95+ MPH
    The percentage of batted balls hit that met or exceeded the 95 MPH threshold.
  • Swinging Strike
    The percentage of pitches that result in a swing and a miss.
K/BB
3.07
 
K/9
8.6
 
BB/9
2.8
 
HR/9
0.7
 
Fastball
94.2 mph
 
ERA
2.91
 
WHIP
1.11
 
BABIP
.279
 
GB/FB
3.57
 
Left On Base
76.4%
 
Exit Velocity
84.2 mph
 
Barrels/BBE
3.7%
 
Spin Rate
2269 rpm
 
Balls Hit 95+ MPH
30.8%
 
Swinging Strike
11.8%
 
Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
Valdez has worked the fifth-most innings of any starting pitcher over the past two seasons trailing only Alcantara, Cole, Webb, and Mikolas. The lefty has returned three consecutive seasons of double digit wins, strong ratios, and a voluminous strikeout total and even threw in a no-hitter this season against Cleveland. Valdez was 9-7 with a 3.07 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP after completing that no-hitter on August 1st but was just 3-4 with a 4.29 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP from then on, which does not even include his very disappointing postseason where he allowed 12 earned runs and lost all three of his starts. Valdez absolutely brings the volume you want from a high-draft pick/cost starting pitcher, but he lacks the elite velocity or K-BB% that fantasy managers like to see from foundational pitchers. His extreme groundball tendencies minmize some of that risk, and the run support in Houston continues to be plentiful. 2022 was his peak, but something between it and 2023 is very possible.
Valdez was one of just eight hurlers to log at least 200 innings as his 201.1 frames was the fifth most in MLB. He fell six strikeouts short of 200, but as an extreme groundball pitcher, Valdez is more concerned about minimizing barrels which he did, landing in the 75th percentile. Valdez threw his sinker half the time, followed by a 90th percentile spin rate curve. He introduced a cutter (which some classified as a slider), throwing it 10% of the time with a solid 18% swinging strike rate. Further refinement of Valdez's repertoire could improve his 23.5% strikeout rate, but he's likely more focused on improving on last season's 8.1% walk rate. Valdez doesn't fan ample batters to be a fantasy ace, but his volume of innings keeps the raw total sufficient for the next tier. Valdez is a bit of a WHIP risk as grounders often inflate BABIP, but they also limit homers, hence keeping ERA in check.
Valdez overcame a finger injury that delayed his season debut, but he produced familiar results once he found his rhythm. He induced a 70.3% groundball rate, which helped him limit his home run rate to 0.8 HR/9. He'll need to maintain that carrying skill, as his 26.4 K% in 2020 predictably regressed due to a static swinging strike rate of 10.2% with a resulting 21.9 K%. While a contact-heavy approach carries plenty of risk, it did help Valdez work deep into games as he completed at least seven innings in eight of his 22 starts - a standout trait in the modern game. Moving forward, there isn't much room to expect Valdez to improve upon his 3.14 ERA in 2021, and instead it appears much more likely that mark regresses. Even so, his skillset should allow him to rack up plenty of volume and his strong team context should put him in the position to rack up wins.
Valdez stepped up in a huge way in the absences of Justin Verlander and Jose Urquidy, ascending to previously unforeseen new heights. Valdez was stellar over his 11 regular-season appearances (10 starts) with a 2.85 FIP over 70.2 innings, and continued to shine throughout the postseason, even earning the Game 1 nod over Zack Greinke in the ALCS. The lefty had a 1.88 ERA and 26:10 K:BB over 24 playoff innings. Don't kick yourself if you did not see this breakout coming. Valdez showed flashes in 2018 but had an ugly 13.4 BB% in 2019 before suddenly finding his control and shaving his walk rate to just 5.6% while adding nearly six percentage points to his strikeout rate. With his heavy sinker-curveball approach, Valdez does a good job keeping the ball on the ground (career 62.8 GB%), but he had a very favorable schedule last season and it's fair to wonder how much of the control gains he might give back.
The young left-hander found success with the Astros in 2018 -- mostly working as a spot starter -- with a 2.19 ERA and 1.24 WHIP over 37 innings, and he carried that performance through his first 16 outings in 2019. But Valdez had a 9.66 ERA across his final 31.2 innings and wasn't selected for the playoff roster as a result. The 26-year-old's major issue has always been walks, and his 13.8 BB% last season remains a concern. He looked much more comfortable at Triple-A with a 69:17 K:BB over 44.1 frames, but he was unable to carry that success into the majors. Valdez's hard sinker helped produce a 62.1% groundball rate, but the 25.7 HR/FB% illustrates his general inconsistency. He split time between the rotation and bullpen in 2019, but he seems more likely to benefit the Astros in relief this season given the more reliable starting options on the team.
Despite having made just two appearances above Double-A, Valdez was summoned to the big leagues in late August and went on to make five starts and three relief appearances for the Astros, finishing with an excellent 2.19 ERA. Although the results were impressive, there are reasons to be skeptical. He was never viewed as a particularly interesting prospect and was thought to be ticketed for a bullpen role, which still seems likely as he threw his third pitch (a changeup) just 1.7% of the time. He walked far too many batters (15.6%) -- another sign of a potential bullpen future -- which contributed to a forgettable 4.65 FIP. An excellent 70.3% groundball rate makes the lefty somewhat interesting, but he's far from a lock as a future starter and would certainly have far less fantasy appeal if he ends up in a long-relief role.
More Fantasy News
Earns 15th win
PHouston Astros
September 24, 2024
Valdez (15-7) allowed three runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out four over 5.2 innings to earn the win over the Mariners on Tuesday.
ANALYSIS
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Outdueled by Cease
PHouston Astros
September 18, 2024
Valdez (14-7) took the loss Wednesday against San Diego, allowing one run on five hits and two walks across seven innings. He struck out six.
ANALYSIS
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Another strong outing
PHouston Astros
September 12, 2024
Valdez didn't factor into the decision Thursday against Oakland, allowing a run on five hits and a walk over 6.1 innings. He struck out six.
ANALYSIS
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Blanks Arizona for 14th win
PHouston Astros
September 7, 2024
Valdez (14-6) picked up the win in Friday's 8-0 rout of the Diamondbacks, allowing two hits and three walks over seven scoreless innings. He struck out seven.
ANALYSIS
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Dazzles in no-decision
PHouston Astros
August 31, 2024
Valdez came away with a no-decision in Friday's 3-2 win over the Royals, walking three batters over seven no-hit, scoreless innings. He struck out seven.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Expected to stay put
PHouston Astros
December 19, 2024
Valdez is a "near-lock not to be moved," Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
ANALYSIS
The Astros have listened to trade inquiries on Valdez but are now telling clubs they plan to keep the left-hander, per Passan. Valdez is projected to make more than $15 million in his final year of arbitration eligibility, and there's been no indication that a long-term contract extension is in the cards. However, Houston still plans to contend in 2025, and Valdez will certainly play a big part in that.
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